D.Gray-man

D.Gray-man
A young silver-haired teenager with a red hand, wearing a black-and-white outfit, accompanied by a clown-like man in a brown jacket and a black-and-purple hat.
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Allen Walker (left) and the Millennium Earl (right)
Genre
Manga
Written byKatsura Hoshino
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintJump Comics
Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original runMay 31, 2004 – present
Volumes28 (List of volumes)
Light novel
D.Gray-man: Reverse
Written byKaya Kizaki
Illustrated byKatsura Hoshino
Published byShueisha
ImprintJump J-Books
DemographicMale
Original runMay 30, 2005December 3, 2010
Volumes3
Anime series adaptations

D.Gray-man is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. Set in an alternate 19th century, it tells the story of a young Allen Walker, who joins an organization of exorcists named the Black Order. They use an ancient substance, Innocence, to combat a man known as the Millennium Earl and his demonic army of Akuma who intend to destroy humanity. Many characters are adapted from Hoshino's previous works and drafts, such as Zone. The series is noted for its dark narrative; Hoshino once rewrote a scene she thought too violent for her young readers.

The manga started serialization in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump in May 2004. Production of the series was suspended several times due to Hoshino's health problems. D.Gray-man made the transition from a weekly to a monthly series in November 2009, when it began serialization in Jump Square. In January 2013, the series went on indefinite hiatus. It resumed serialization in July 2015 after the release of Jump SQ.Crown, a spin-off from the magazine Jump SQ. After Jump SQ.Crown ceased its publication, the series was switched to Jump SQ.Rise, starting in April 2018. The manga's chapters have been collected in 28 tankōbon volumes as of October 2022. The manga is licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media, who have released 28 volumes by November 2023.

A spin-off novel series, D.Gray-man: Reverse by Kaya Kizaki, explores the history of a number of characters. A 103-episode anime television series adaptation by TMS Entertainment aired from October 2006 to September 2008. A 13-episode sequel anime series, D.Gray-man Hallow, also produced by TMS Entertainment aired from July to September 2016. Several items of merchandise have been produced, including two video games about the series.

The manga has become one of Shueisha's bestsellers, with over 25 million copies in circulation. In Japan and North America, several individual volumes have appeared in weekly top-ten lists of best-selling manga. Although most reviewers found it similar to other shōnen manga, they compared its moments of originality and well-developed characters favorably to other series of the same demographic. Hoshino's artwork has received mostly positive reviews; most critics have commented that her characters are visually appealing and that the Gothic elements in her art are pleasant to look at. However, one critic of her artwork has said that Hoshino's fight sequences can be difficult to follow.

  1. ^ "The Official Website for D. Gray-man". Viz Media. Archived from the original on July 22, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  2. ^ Douresseaux, Leroy (May 2, 2008). "D.Gray-Man: Volume 9". ComicBookBin. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  3. ^ アニメ『D.Gray-man』神田ユウは佐藤拓也、ラビは花江夏樹 7月放送スタート. Oricon News (in Japanese). March 26, 2016. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  4. ^ Ellingwood, Holly (April 30, 2009). "D.Gray-man Season 1 Part 1". Active Anime. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2022. The anti-Akuma weapons add a shade of science fiction into this supernatural fantasy set in an alternate 19th century Europe.
  5. ^ "D.Gray-man". Funimation. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2018.